Standard Database: You'll probably never want to look inside your image catalog, but if you ever need to, its your data (or in this case meta-data) and you have a right to it. DigitalPro is based on the same underlying engine as Microsoft Access, so you can always use Access or a compatible database to open the catalog and look at the contents.

There are some tricky issues to consider when you start cataloging your images. The first is Raw Files. You can of course assign keywords or categories to your Raw files in your image catalog, but since Raw files are for the most part undocumented, they are very difficult to caption. Photoshop, for example will not save any File Info to Nikon or Canon Raw files. DigitalPro will save IPTC caption data to Nikon Raw files but not to all Canon Raw file types. PSD files have a similar issue, as they are proprietary to Adobe (although the 8-bit version is documented). Consider using TIFF instead of PSD as your save format instead if you'd rather have an open standard format for your saved images. You can still preserve all your layers.

Real-time Cataloging (Catalog while you Browse): I used to use an image catalog when I scanned my images because I had few enough images that I could live with the tedious process of importing or "cataloging" them. When I switched to digital the volume of images quickly made that impractical or at least too painful. So when we added image cataloging to DigitalPro3 we introduced the industry's first real-time catalog. DP3 catalogs while you browse! That's right, the cataloging system is so fast that it can do it while you are looking through your folders. Of course you can do it on command also, but you never need to worry about having forgotten or having to wait for a catalog import to finish!

"Encouraging the reader to think critically and be prepared to make decisions in ambiguous situations where the solutions might not always be obvious or clearly dictated by rules, Moving Image Cataloging stimulates critical thinking with exercises at the end of each chapter, providing suggested (but not absolute) answers at the end of the book. Primarily geared for catalogers of moving images, the work also teaches how to make decisions that impact the catalog and, more generally, how to search a catalog." - ARBA "This is a book which will become a standard work on the subject of cataloguing the moving image, and it needs to be read by those involved in cataloguing in film libraries, archives, and museums, as well as library schools and the more advanced cataloguing courses. Finally, I cannot resist quoting the marvellous dedication at the beginning of the book: 'This book is dedicated to all of the cataloguers who have laboured in the vineyards of bibliographic control for hundreds of years, largely unthanked and unappreciated because, when we do our work well, it is invisible to the catalogue user.' How true!" - Program "...this is an excellent overview of the challenges, principles, and practices of cataloging moving image materials. It would be a useful textbook for courses on this topic, as well as for in-library training programs." - Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services "Martha Yee is a well-known exponent of moving image cataloguing, and this book is correspondingly authoritative." - The Electronic Library

Creating a good image catalog will take you some work. Personally I wouldn't try to catalog everything at once. You'll probably wind up with a lot of information you won't use and you'll probably forget some key uses of your images that you wish you'd considered. I tend to organize or tag images as I get requests for a particular type of information or as I start to teach a course that requires examples of particular techniques, etc. However you decide to approach the task, having the right software solution is essential. Some key features to look for include:

Image Cataloging | Cardinal Photo

Filemakerpro Image Cataloging Manual - UVaCollab : Gateway

Any image catalog, by definition, will keep your category assignments in their database (aka catalog). But if you are interested in a solution that lets you share images with others while maintaining this important information--or if you just want to make sure you aren't getting locked in to a vendor's proprietary catalog--make sure you get one which will also maintain your keyword and category information in the file itself using the IPTC captioning. That way it can be read by Photoshop and many other IPTC compatible applications including DigitalPro. [Note: There is one oddity about IPTC categories. The primary category in IPTC is limited to one entry of at most 3 letters. So the Supplemental Category field, which allows unlimited entries which can be much longer is more flexible for general filing.]

Filemakerpro Image Cataloging Manual

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Effective image cataloguing - Canon Professional Network

Every new digital photographer starts out b being excited at how easy it is to retrieve their images compared to digging them out of slide files or shoeboxes. Then, as the number of image files on their computer grows from hundreds to thousands and tens of thousands the sobering reality sets in. Just because it is on your disk doesn't mean you can find it again. The process of tagging and organizing your images is most often referred to as image cataloging. In this issue we'll speed you through the essentials of setting up a process for cataloging your images and also give you some quick tips about how to use the new image cataloging capability in DigitalPro3 (now even more is possible with !) to accomplish your goals.--David Cardinal

Brosnan) Brosnan Cover Sharper Image Catalog October 1995 M $20

Creating a good image catalog will take you some work. Personally I wouldn't try to catalog everything at once. You'll probably wind up with a lot of information you won't use and you'll probably forget some key uses of your images that you wish you'd considered. I tend to organize or tag images as I get requests for a particular type of information or as I start to teach a course that requires examples of particular techniques, etc. However you decide to approach the task, having the right software solution is essential. Some key features to look for include: